Met de Iraanse aanvallen op gasinstallaties in Qatar is ook de productie van helium verstoord. Europa had zich hier tegen kunnen wapenen, de risico’s waren bekend.
De overheid wil dat mensen zich drie dagen zonder stroom kunnen redden. In Twente is de Veiligheidsregio al enkele jaren bezig om kinderen weerbaar te maken. „Ik moet vooral straks van alles met mijn ouders bespreken.”
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The North Caucasus republic of Dagestan on Saturday recorded its heaviest 24-hour rainfall since 1919.
Ollie Bearman crashed heavily during the Japanese Grand Prix, with the Safety Car having to be deployed.
UK PM to chair meeting on government’s response to economic consequences of Iran war later on Monday
Starmer complained about other parties whipping up division, and he specifically criticised Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, for “complaining about Muslims praying in public”.
Labour, by contrast, values bringing people together, he said.
Continue reading...Aarti Holla-Maini, of the UN’s Office for Outer Space Affairs, is primed and ready should a planetary strike occur – and just over 12 months ago, she thought it might
The UN official had trained for this moment. She had run drills and table-top exercises at her offices in Vienna, housed inside a grey and unassuming 1970s concrete tower complex next to the Danube River.
Aarti Holla-Maini, a British lawyer with a background in the satellite business, needed to have at least played out the scenario step by step. As the director of the UN’s Office for Outer Space Affairs (Unoosa), she was required to know exactly what she was expected to do if – and it was a big if – she were informed that a significantly large asteroid was on a possible collision course with Earth. Or, as she says with a laugh: “Armageddon.”
Continue reading...A New York congressional primary is exposing the gap between Democrats who want to fight Trump and Democrats who want to fight for something
The Democratic party seems more united than it has been in years, thanks to one man: Donald Trump. Opposition to his presidency has papered over what would otherwise be serious disagreements about economic policy, civil liberties, foreign affairs, and the role of corporate money in politics.
As long as Democrats can point to Trump as the common enemy, their coalition holds, and the ideological conflicts that once defined the party during the 2016 primary or the battles over the Gaza genocide during the Joe Biden years now feel like a thing of the past. But those divisions haven’t disappeared – and in New York’s 10th congressional district, they’re beginning to surface again.
Continue reading...If you’re the glass-half-full type, you should be overjoyed at the news coming out of Yale School of Public Health. But pessimists like me? We’re stuffed
There’s bad news for me and my fellow Eeyores (there always is): a positive mindset could help you age better. Research led by Prof Becca Levy of the Yale School of Public Health interrogated over-65s on their attitudes to ageing, following them for up to 12 years, and found that those with positive beliefs about ageing were more likely to be in the 45% whose physical or cognitive function improved over the study period.
If you’re a glass-half-full type, you’re probably thinking that nearly half of the over-65s studied upping their physical or cognitive performance over a period of years seems like great news. As the research says: “If this finding was extrapolated to the entire US population, it would suggest that more than 26 million older persons are experiencing an improvement in functioning.” And yes, even I have to admit that this is a heartening and stereotype-busting surprise.
Continue reading...Slumped on the pavement, she wasn’t breathing – and I wouldn’t have realised if I’d been listening to music as usual. Time to stop blotting out the world …
For years I walked the streets of London wearing noise-cancelling headphones, absorbed in playlists, politics podcasts or long voice notes from friends, and a million miles away from wherever I was. One damp January evening last year, I was walking home from my parents’ house, headphones dead in my bag, when I noticed a small figure slumped on the pavement with her eyes closed. I might not have noticed her had I been in my own world, fixated on what was playing in my ears.
I asked for her name. “Can you hear me?” I tried several times, my voice tightening. She didn’t respond, and worse, she didn’t seem to be breathing. My mind raced back to the one first aid class I took in school, but drawing a blank and worried that I might get it wrong, I dialled 999 and frantically tried to figure out if I could feel her pulse.
Continue reading...Documentary follows a resident of a Norwegian village for people with learning disabilities, spotlighting his connection with a Danish care worker
This is a sweet, slight, gentle film about Ola Henningsen, a man in early middle age with a round, placid face who lives in a village community in eastern Norway for people with learning and developmental disabilities. (The original title in Norwegian translates as Ola: A Completely Ordinary Unusual Guy.) Director Ragnhild Nøst Bergem interviews Ola and follows him around the village; Ola describes himself as “slow” and yet also appears perfectly intelligent and articulate.
But the film shows us something over and above this: Ola’s relationship with Lasse, a Danish care worker who once lived in the community alongside the residents, helping with activities, and who did nothing to discourage Ola thinking of him as his “best friend”. But Ola was clearly very hurt, even heartbroken, when Lasse (inevitably) had to leave the community and go back to Copenhagen because his employment term had come to an end. The second part of the film shows Ola going on a trip to see Lasse (which would have been impossible without Bergem accompanying him as his carer) and to some extent confessing to him his feelings of abandonment.
Continue reading...Review of Kai Schwemmer’s broadcasts undermines claim ‘process of growth’ had led him to abandon bigoted views
The newly appointed College Republicans of America political director Kai Schwemmer has made racist, antisemitic, homophobic and sexist statements while espousing extremist rightwing views on abortion, a Guardian review of livestream recordings can reveal.
Schwemmer said he would accept a world in which slavery was legal if abortion was criminalised, describes himself as “very much an anti universal suffrage guy” and accepts a supporter’s description of him as “our Mormon Nick Fuentes” – referring to the white nationalist influencer whose platform he streamed on for years.
Continue reading...Woman assaulted after man was given key card to her room criticises CEO Jo Boydell over cancelled meeting
A woman who was sexually assaulted by a man who was handed a key card to her room at a Travelodge has said she was shocked to learn the hotel chain’s boss cancelled a meeting with a group of MPs seeking to discuss concerns about the case.
More than 20 MPs had demanded the meeting this month to discuss the matter – including details of the chain’s security processes and procedures that led to it offering the victim an “insulting” £30 refund after the incident.
Continue reading...
Apple's 50th anniversary is this week — and Fast Company's Harry McCracken just published an 11,000-word oral history with some fun stories from Apple's earliest days and the long and winding road to its very first home computers:
Steve Wozniak, cofounder, Apple: I told my dad when I was in high school, "I'm going to own a computer someday." My dad said, "It costs as much as a house." And I sat there at the table — I remember right where we were sitting — and I said, "I'll live in an apartment." I was going to have a computer if it was ever possible. I didn't need a house.
Woz even remembers trying to build a home computer early on with a teenaged Steve Jobs and Bill Fernandez from rejected parts procured from local electronics companies. Woz designed it — "not from anybody else's design or from a manual. And Fernandez was one of those kids that could use a soldering iron."
Bill Fernandez: The computer was very basic. It was working, and we were starting to talk about how we could hook a teletype up to it. Mrs. Wozniak called a reporter from the San Jose Mercury, and he came over with a photographer. We set up the computer on the floor of Steve Wozniak's bedroom.
Well, the core integrated circuit that ran the power supply that I built was an old reject part. We turned on the computer, and the power supply smoked and burnt out the circuitry. So we didn't get our photos in the paper with an article about the boy geniuses.
But within a few years Jobs and Wozniak both wound up with jobs at local tech companies. Atari cofounder Nolan Bushnell remembers that Steve Jobs "wasn't a good engineer, but he was a great technician. He was pristine in his ability to solder, which was actually important in those days." Meanwhile Allen Baum had shared Wozniak's high school interest in computers, and later got Woz a job working at Hewlett-Packard — where employees were allowed to use stockroom parts for private projects. ("When he needed some parts, even if we didn't have them, I could order them.") Baum helped with the Apple I and II, and joined Apple a decade later.
Wozniak remembers being inspired to build that first Apple I by the local Homebrew Computing Club, people "talking about great things that would happen to society, that we would be able to communicate like we never did [before] and educate in new ways. And being a geek would be important and have value." And once he'd built his first computer, "I wanted these people to help create the revolution. And so I passed out my designs with no copyright notices — public domain, open source, everything. A couple of other people in the club did build it."
But Woz and Jobs had even tried pitching the computer as a Hewlett-Packard product, Woz remembers:
Steve Wozniak: I showed them what it would cost and how it would work and what it could do with my little demos. They had all the engineering people and the marketing people, and they turned me down. That was the first of five turndowns from Hewlett-Packard. Steve Jobs and I had to go into business on our own.
In the end, Randy Wigginton, Apple employee No. 6 remembers witnessing Jobs, Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne the signing of Apple's founding contract, "which is pretty funny, because I was 15 at the time." And it was Allen Baum's father who gave Wozniak and Jobs the bridge loan to buy the parts they'd need for their first 500 computers.
After all the memories, the article concludes that "Trying to connect every dot between Apple, the tiny, dirt-poor 1970s startup, and Apple, the $3.7 trillion 21st-century global colossus, is impossible."
But this much is clear: The company has always been at its best when its original quirky humanity and willingness to be an outlier shine through.
Mark Johnson, Apple employee No. 13: I was in Cupertino just yesterday. It's totally different. They own Cupertino now.
Jonathan Rotenberg, who cofounded the Boston Computer Society in 1977 at age 13: People want to hate Apple, because it is big and powerful. But Apple has an underlying moral purpose that is immensely deep and expansive...
Mike Markkula, the early retiree from Intel whose guidance and money turned the garage startup into a company: The culture mattered. People were there for the right reasons — to build something transformative — not just to make money. That alignment produced extraordinary results...
Steve Wozniak: Everything you do in life should have some element of joy in it. Even your work should have an element of joy... When you're about to die, you have certain memories. And for me, it's not going to be Apple going public or Apple being huge and all that. It's really going to be stories from the period when humble people spotted something that was interesting and followed it
I'll be thinking of that when I die, along with a lot of pranks I played. The important things.
Steve Wozniak, cofounder, Apple: I told my dad when I was in high school, "I'm going to own a computer someday." My dad said, "It costs as much as a house." And I sat there at the table — I remember right where we were sitting — and I said, "I'll live in an apartment." I was going to have a computer if it was ever possible. I didn't need a house.
Woz even remembers trying to build a home computer early on with a teenaged Steve Jobs and Bill Fernandez from rejected parts procured from local electronics companies. Woz designed it — "not from anybody else's design or from a manual. And Fernandez was one of those kids that could use a soldering iron."
Bill Fernandez: The computer was very basic. It was working, and we were starting to talk about how we could hook a teletype up to it. Mrs. Wozniak called a reporter from the San Jose Mercury, and he came over with a photographer. We set up the computer on the floor of Steve Wozniak's bedroom.
Well, the core integrated circuit that ran the power supply that I built was an old reject part. We turned on the computer, and the power supply smoked and burnt out the circuitry. So we didn't get our photos in the paper with an article about the boy geniuses.
But within a few years Jobs and Wozniak both wound up with jobs at local tech companies. Atari cofounder Nolan Bushnell remembers that Steve Jobs "wasn't a good engineer, but he was a great technician. He was pristine in his ability to solder, which was actually important in those days." Meanwhile Allen Baum had shared Wozniak's high school interest in computers, and later got Woz a job working at Hewlett-Packard — where employees were allowed to use stockroom parts for private projects. ("When he needed some parts, even if we didn't have them, I could order them.") Baum helped with the Apple I and II, and joined Apple a decade later.
Wozniak remembers being inspired to build that first Apple I by the local Homebrew Computing Club, people "talking about great things that would happen to society, that we would be able to communicate like we never did [before] and educate in new ways. And being a geek would be important and have value." And once he'd built his first computer, "I wanted these people to help create the revolution. And so I passed out my designs with no copyright notices — public domain, open source, everything. A couple of other people in the club did build it."
But Woz and Jobs had even tried pitching the computer as a Hewlett-Packard product, Woz remembers:
Steve Wozniak: I showed them what it would cost and how it would work and what it could do with my little demos. They had all the engineering people and the marketing people, and they turned me down. That was the first of five turndowns from Hewlett-Packard. Steve Jobs and I had to go into business on our own.
In the end, Randy Wigginton, Apple employee No. 6 remembers witnessing Jobs, Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne the signing of Apple's founding contract, "which is pretty funny, because I was 15 at the time." And it was Allen Baum's father who gave Wozniak and Jobs the bridge loan to buy the parts they'd need for their first 500 computers.
After all the memories, the article concludes that "Trying to connect every dot between Apple, the tiny, dirt-poor 1970s startup, and Apple, the $3.7 trillion 21st-century global colossus, is impossible."
But this much is clear: The company has always been at its best when its original quirky humanity and willingness to be an outlier shine through.
Mark Johnson, Apple employee No. 13: I was in Cupertino just yesterday. It's totally different. They own Cupertino now.
Jonathan Rotenberg, who cofounded the Boston Computer Society in 1977 at age 13: People want to hate Apple, because it is big and powerful. But Apple has an underlying moral purpose that is immensely deep and expansive...
Mike Markkula, the early retiree from Intel whose guidance and money turned the garage startup into a company: The culture mattered. People were there for the right reasons — to build something transformative — not just to make money. That alignment produced extraordinary results...
Steve Wozniak: Everything you do in life should have some element of joy in it. Even your work should have an element of joy... When you're about to die, you have certain memories. And for me, it's not going to be Apple going public or Apple being huge and all that. It's really going to be stories from the period when humble people spotted something that was interesting and followed it
I'll be thinking of that when I die, along with a lot of pranks I played. The important things.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
The La Napoule Art Foundation is opening its doors more widely than ever before through its new Threshold Art Retreats, a program designed for artists seeking creative exploration in an extraordinary setting at the Château de La Napoule in the south of France. These immersive five-day retreats invite participants of all backgrounds—not just professional artists—to step into a world where art, nature, and personal reflection intersect. With a focus on both artistic practice and inner renewal, the experience offers a rare opportunity to engage deeply with creativity in an ethereal setting shaped by nearly a century of artistic vision.
Each retreat blends hands-on artistic instruction with restorative wellness. Guests might spend their mornings painting in vibrant gardens or working in seaside studios and their afternoons paddleboarding along the Mediterranean or participating in rooftop yoga sessions. Evenings are intentionally reflective, featuring communal meals prepared by the château’s chef and meditative experiences like sound bowl sessions in the intimate Lovers’ Tower. The rhythm of each day is designed to inspire both creative output and personal clarity.
What makes these retreats especially meaningful is access to mentors. Many are led by accomplished artists who were once residents at the château themselves, continuing a powerful cycle of artistic exchange. This structure fosters not just skill-building but also a sense of belonging within a creative lineage. Participants are not simply visitors; they become part of an ongoing artistic community rooted in shared inspiration and dialogue.
Importantly, every retreat directly supports the foundation’s mission. By opening access to a broader audience, the program helps sustain the château and its longstanding artist residency programs. It offers a thoughtful solution to a persistent challenge in the art world: how to make transformative, soul-enriching experiences more accessible while maintaining the historic spaces that make them possible. In this way, participation becomes both personally enriching and purpose-driven.
The setting is also inseparable from the experience. Perched above the Mediterranean, the Château de La Napoule feels like a living artwork. Its sculptural windows and doors filter the region’s luminous light, while hybrid figures—part human, part imagined—adorn its columns and courtyards that once hosted Europe’s elite. Acres of whimsical gardens enchant, and the Mediterranean sparkles just beyond the ancient ramparts. A sacred world, perched over the sea, entirely devoted to the arts.
This extraordinary place was brought to life by Henry Clews Jr. and Marie Clews, who, nearly 100 years ago, transformed the ruins of an 11th-century fortress into an artistic sanctuary. Henry used the château as his canvas, creating sculptures that critiqued ego and vanity with mythic intensity, while Marie designed its ornamental ironwork and geometric gardens. After Henry’s early death, Marie carried their shared vision forward, founding the La Napoule Art Foundation in 1950. Their motto—“Mirth, Myth, Mystery”—remains etched into the stone, a lasting invitation for others to step inside and be transformed.
The Château de La Napoule has always been a place where boundaries dissolve, and lives are rewritten. From Henry’s artistic revolution and Marie’s preservation efforts, to countless artists finding new directions there, inspirational change seems to be written into its very walls.
Now, that transformation is available to anyone curious enough to seek it.
La Napoule Art Foundation offers multiple artist residency opportunities throughout the year and operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the U.S. Threshold Art Retreats hosts immersive programs each summer from June through September. These retreats feature a rotating calendar of specialized creative experiences, including Foraged Books: The Art of Place (artist bookmaking and storytelling), The Human Form in Oil Paints (figure painting from a live model), and Color as Matter: Exploring Pigment Through Surface and Form (discover the physical and symbolic power of color).
Learn more about residencies and upcoming retreats at lnaf.org and thresholdartretreats.com.
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Art Retreats in the South of France Offer Mirth, Myth, and Mystery appeared first on Colossal.
Een marathon lopen is al niet voor iedereen weggelegd, maar Arnold Grondman doet er nog een schepje bovenop. Hij loopt de 42,195 kilometer in Rotterdam volgende week op blote voeten. En dat gaat hem verrassend goed af. "Mijn voeten zijn gewoon normaal."
